Elgin officials discuss drug and alcohol education, enforcement
Elgin City Council members are looking for data.
In their capacity as liquor commissioners, the elected officials discussed drug and alcohol education and enforcement Wednesday and possible ways to fund it.
Police Chief Jeff Swoboda told council members during the liquor commission meeting that state money for DUI enforcement will significantly decrease next year — to $82,000 in 2013 from $260,000 this year. The question from Mayor David Kaptain was how Swoboda should be asked to deal with the revenue loss.
“This is a new expense, and the only way we can continue the program is to take it out of other assets within the police department or provide a new source of funds,” Kaptain said.
Kaptain has advocated for the targeted use of alcoholic beverage tax revenue for initiatives like roadside safety checks. He also supported a broader education effort to address methamphetamine and heroin during police outreach regarding teen alcohol abuse, a program suggested by the state liquor commission.
“As long as we’re going out to visit, we might as well kill two birds with one stone if we can,” Kaptain said.
The latest drug on the Elgin Police Department’s radar screen is methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth. Swoboda said there are no trends or identifiable patterns yet, but a crystal meth bust July 11 has the special investigations unit on high alert to stop a problem before it fully starts.
The police department already incorporates education with its enforcement, including referring arrestees to local social service agencies. Swoboda said basic education efforts will be targeted based on crime trends in town whether or not new money is allocated. There is, of course, potential for new programs if money is made available.
Councilman John Steffen supported the education efforts and continued roadside safety checks, but he questioned the source of the funding. He recommended looking into drug seizure money or other accounts that are not directly tied to general revenue.
John Prigge spoke out against using the alcoholic beverage tax revenue, saying council members should speak with constituents before their next discussion to gauge public support.
“I voted for it, to raise the sales tax and create the liquor tax, as an attempt to pay and maintain our core services,” Prigge said. “Not to buy and expand.”
That is the crux of the issue, according to Kaptain — is this type of education and enforcement part of the police department’s core services?
Council members will discuss the matter further — with more crime data and program cost options — this fall.